Battle of Bluebloods: UNC vs MSU preview

After their impressive win against Mississippi State in the round of 64, the Spartans get the prize of playing 1 seed North Carolina for a trip to the Sweet 16. This game is going to be great and even Vegas thinks so. The line (UNC -4) is the smallest line ever for a 1 vs 9 game in the NCAA tournament. North Carolina has been ranked inside the top 25 all season. The Tar Heels currently sit at 28-7 on the year and beat 16 seed Wagner 90-62 on Thursday. Like most 1 seed the Tar Heels are stacked. They have an elite 1-2 punch with RJ Davis and Armando Bacot. RJ Davis, the ACC player of the year averages 21 points a game. Davis is an excellent shooter who adds 3 3s per game for the Tar Heels. But, like Josh Hubbard of Mississippi State, Davis can take some irresponsible shots at times. Armando Bacot is the Tar Heels 5th year big man. Bacot brings elite rebounding, paint presence, and leadership to this squad. He averages a double double on the season with 14 and 10 per game. Bacot and Davis were both on the team in 2022 when they made the final against Kansas. This experience can be key in a game like this. The Tar Heels are 15th in the nation in scoring and this can’t just come from 2 guys. Harrison Ingram and Cormac Ryan are 2 guys who came in from the transfer portal and made an immediate impact. They are both averaging 11 points a game and both are very good outside shooters as well. Ingram is 2nd on the team in rebounds per game averaging 8.9 a game. The Tar Heels also have guards like Elliot Cadeau and Seth Trimble who are both good defenders and play key minutes, sometimes with Davis on the bench. All of this combined with the fact that they’re playing in Charlotte makes them juggernaut.

So, it is pretty obvious MSU has a tough game ahead. I will say that although UNC is a great offensive team, they aren’t as good on defense. The Tar Heels rank outside the top 100 ( 70.5) in points allowed per game. That is compared to MSU who is 21st and allow 66 a game. This is a game where the Spartans best players have to play like it. I know these guys love the moment and that is exactly what they have. Players like Malik Hall and Tyson Walker returned for their extra year to make a deep run. Michigan State shot 50% yesterday and they’ll need to keep that up if they want to make back to back Sweet 16s. The game is set to tip at 6:10 PM est. on CBS.